Lori Loughlin indicted on new charges in college admissions scheme

Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, were charged last month with conspiracy to commit mail fraud for allegedly paying bribes totaling $500,000 to help their two daughters get into the University of Southern California.

The new indictment adds a charge of money laundering against the couple and 14 other defendants accused in the scheme.

The second charge alleges that the parents funneled the bribes and other payments through a purported charity and for-profit corporation, and transferred money from outside of the United States into the country “for the purpose of promoting the fraud scheme,” the U.S. attorney’s office said.

You know what that means? It means that if Lori decides to accept a plea deal now, there’s automatically additional prison time attached. It sounds like prosecutors were unwilling to consider any plea bargains which didn’t include prison time.

The new charges came a day after federal prosecutors said actress Felicity Huffman and 13 other defendants charged in the probe dubbed “Operation Varsity Blues” had agreed to plead guilty.